1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements a cross-country ski bindings.
2. Discussion of Background and Relevant Information
The present invention relates to improvements in cross-country ski bindings described in the first Certificate of Addition of French No. 87 07932, filed June 5, 1987, which corresponds to commonly assigned application U.S. Ser. No. 07/153,457, filed Feb. 8, 1988, which is herein incorporated by reference. The cross-country binding disclosed therein is adapted to assure the linkage between a front zone of a cross-country ski boot or shoe and a cross-country ski and includes: at least one support element; one linkage element swivel-mounted on the support element, around a first transverse axis; an abutment for limiting the rotation of the linkage element in a first predetermined direction around the first axis with respect to the support element in a manner so as to define a preferred angular position of the linkage element with respect with the support element, the first direction being oriented from front to rear above the first axis; a latching element of a front boot zone being swivel-mounted on the linkage element, around a second transverse axis, between a retention position and a release position of the front zone of the boot, the passage from the release position to the retention position occurring by rotation of the latching element in a second predetermined direction around the second axis, with respect to the linkage element, the second direction being oriented from front to rear above the second axis; at least one journal surface extending around a third transverse axis, from the front zone of the boot with respect to the support element and/or linkage element by nesting and movable support of the front zone of the boot with respect to the support element and/or the linkage element in a radial direction with respect to the third axis, the movable journal surface facing upstream with reference to the radial direction with reference to the second direction; at least one support zone of the latching element, in the retention position, on the front zone of the boot opposite the third axis with respect to the said front zone of the boot in the radial direction, the support zone of the latching element being offset with respect to the second axis and facing downstream with reference to the second direction and being positioned such that it is likewise facing downstream with reference to the radial direction in the retention position and releases the front zone of the boot upstream with reference to the radial direction in the release position; and an elastic bias mechanism of the latching element in the second direction and of the linkage element in the first direction.
In this known binding, the elastic bias mechanism acts, in elastic compression, between the support element and a stirrup which is swivel-mounted on the linkage element but is immobilized with respect thereto when the latching element occupies its retention position, by support on this latching element itself supported on the front zone of the boot itself supported towards the third transverse axis, which is coincident with the first transverse axis, with respect to the support element and to the linkage element. As a result of this immobilization of the stirrup with respect to the linkage element there occurs the elastic bias of the latter in the first direction, while the elastic bias of the latching element in the second direction results directly from the action of the stirrup on the latching element under the action of the elastic bias mechanism.
This known binding is functionally satisfactory, but it has the disadvantage of including three movable elements, besides the elastic bias mechanism, namely, the linkage element, the support element and the stirrup. Further, the shape and mounting of the stirrup on the other elements is complex and costly.